The Breakthrough
by ldchemistry
Summary: One mistake has cost them so much. Can they find their way back to the light and to each other?
1. Chapter 1

Alone. Five letters, one sentiment. Singularity; whether chosen or sentenced, the outcome is the same. As she sits in her car with salty drops welling in sad sultry eyes, the memories bombard her, blinding her vision momentarily. She starts to drive aimlessly, hoping to outrun the pain that seems to wear away at her very being, creating a shell of the person she once was. She shivers from the cold, even though it is a humid summer night. She continues to drive, with no destination in mind, but she sees her subconscious had a different plan when she sees the black old school convertible. She knows what has to be done, but that doesn't make it easy. She's not sure how long she sits outside the all too familiar house, minutes, seconds hours, eons; they are all of no value to her now. She knows what she has to do. With a strength she was sure she had lost in the last few weeks, she pulls herself up and out of the car and begins the voyage to a place that she has been avoiding up until now. As she nears the front door, it suddenly opens, and she is faced with the piercing green eyes, eyes that were once filled with love and devotion, eyes that have a backdoor into her soul. As their eyes lock her breathe gets stuck in her chest; after a minute or two she finally blinks, braking the connection and lets out a ragged breathe she didn't know she was holding. She opens her mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. She tries again, but before she can her surroundings begin to dissolve; the sky, the trees, the walkway under her feet; she begins to fall, the fear gripping as a soundless scream pushes past her lips. She looks up and the last thing she sees with those hazel brown eyes are green ones full of pain despair and heartache; heartache she was the cause of.

She jerks awake in a slight panic unsure of where she was, eyes hazed over from sleep. Once the hotel room comes into view, she begins to remember what has just happened. Another nightmare to add to the collection she has been having over the past few weeks. Nightmares that all have one common theme, then blond that held her heart, the one person she could truly be herself with, the one she had hurt beyond repair in a moment of weakness. As the thought hit home the tears gathered, ready to take their daily trek down the pale cheeks that held dimples when she smiled, something she hadn't done in weeks. Standing before they can begin, she walks over to the dresser grabbing her blinking phone .Looking at it, she sees a missed call and a voice mail. With hope in her heart she checks hoping it's from her love, but sighs to see Haley's name. She decides to listen to the voice mail, and is shocked to hear next week would be Jamie's birthday party. Had she really been away from Tree Hill for a month?

She quickly decides to call Haley back and is surprised to hear a sweet little voice answer the phone. "Aunt Brooke! I miss you sooo much!" "My bestest little man! I miss you too Jim Jam" Brooke replies with tears making her throat thick. "When are you coming home? Everybody misses you lots and lots, especially Aunt Peyton," he says in a stage whisper. He continues, "She hasn't been all smiley since you left, and all she does is stay in her room and play loud music and cry when Mama and Daddy go and check on her." Brooke breaks down hearing this. "Aunt Brooke, please come home." His sweet voice is replaced by Haley's soothing voice. "Hey Brooke, calm down sweetie." Brooke is sobbing hard into the phone at this point. "Haley, I broke her, I fucking broke…." She crashes to the floor under the weight of her emotion. "Hey, hey you listen to me, you and Peyton will make it through this just like you have made it through everything else that is thrown at you. She is upset, but you have to have faith in your love." Brooke tears start to slow as she hears the resolve in Haley's voice. "How is she Haley?" Brooke almost whispers into the phone. "She needs you Brooke," Haley replies truthfully. "She hates me Haley," Brooke chokes out. Haley sighs, "No she doesn't Brooke, she's just hurt." "Then why won't she take my calls, why won't she let me come home!" Brooke begs into the phone, hysterically. "She's just trying to protect herself Brooke, she has a lot on her plate." Brooke sighs, "Can you give her a message for me Haley?" Brooke rasps. "I don't know if she will accept it in the state she is in right now Brooke," Haley cautions. "Just tell her no matter what, I won't stop loving her, but I'll let her go if that's what she really wants." Brooke once again brakes down with these words are uttered. "Haley's voice cut through her despair, "Damn it Brooke, fight for her! You two were meant to be as much as Nathan and I are! She needs you, so stop your moping, and self-loathing and get your ass home to your girl!" With that Haley hangs up leaving Brooke with her thoughts of how her life had come to this.


	2. Chapter 2

Peyton sat on her bed and stared blankly at the wall. Tears wouldn't come if she didn't think of Brooke or the pain that has been clouding her head since she walked out of the hotel room and away from Brooke a month ago. As if a siren is calling her mind to wander, the memories started to bombard her with unprecedented clarity. Before she could become the past's captive, there was a knock on her bedroom door. When she didn't answer, it was swung open to reveal a sympathetic looking Nathan. He walked over to the bed and sat at the edge of it. He looked at Peyton and saw she was in the same clothes he left her in two days ago, and her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. He sighed about to call her on it, when she turned to him with eyes that seem lost while sad. Nathan moved closer to her and gave her an enveloping brotherly hug, causing the tears to cascade down her face not for the first time.

"Peyt, I can't stand seeing you like this, locked up in here in the dark. It's not healthy, and to be honest you're starting to scare me." Nathan let go and looks at Peyton, "Haley says you haven't been to the studio in a month. What about your artist Peyt? What about Mia?" Peyton turns her head at hearing this. She knew she wasn't helping Mia and the bands signed to Red Bedroom acting like this, but she couldn't even help herself right now. "Nate, I just don't have it in me… It hurts so fucking bad Nathan," at this she turns to him pounding her chest for emphasis, "My heart feels like it's been ripped out, I can't…." At this she began to sob in earnest causing Nathan to grab her in a bone breaking hug once again. They sat like that until her tears slow and she has calmed down a little. "You're miserable Peyt." "Gee thanks for the complement Nate." Ignoring Peyton's sarcastic tone which still held a note of sadness, "You have to talk to Brooke." Peyton visibly tensed when she heard the name o00f the one who held her heart, but also ripped it to pieces. "There is nothing left for me to say that I didn't tell her back in that hotel room. I'm over it." Peyton says with as much conviction as she can muster. Nathan sees right through it and calls her on it, "I call bull shit. If you're over it, Dan didn't kill his own brother in cold blood." He continued, " Look Peyt, I of all people know what you're going through, does the name Chris Keller ring a bell, but freezing her out is not the way to solve things. She made a mistake…" "Un- fucking-believable, you're taking her side!" Peyton accused fire evident in her green eyes. "No, I'm not taking sides at all" Nathan replied, "but let me ask you this, is it worth throwing away four years? You two were meant to be and you're gonna let that go over one drunken mistake when you know she didn't mean it? Well that's on you but what you will not do is continue to wallow and hide from the world. Jamie needs his Aunt Peyton." At this Nathan surprised her by lifting her off of the bed. He carried her into the bathroom and into the walk-in shower which he switched on allowing the still cold water to soak both of them. "What the hell Nathan! It's freaking cold!" Peyton yelled, showing more life than she has in a long while. "You stink Sawyer, and if we're gonna pick Jamie up from school you gotta take care of that. I'll be back to pick you up in thirty minutes, so hurry your skinny ass up because school will be letting out soon." With that he turned to walk out the bathroom. "Asshole!" Peyton shouted to his retreating form. "Love you too Sawyer." He replied sweetly.

Peyton stood in the shower thinking over what Nathan had said. Though she wouldn't admit it to him ever, he had made a few valid points. She had promised Mia she would do all that was in her power to help her make the best album she could, and though Haley had taken over the project in Peyton's absence, she knew she was needed. She also knew she had to get out of the house even if only for Jamie's sake. The little boy, who captured her heart from the first time she had seen his little face, was at an impressionable age, and he looked up to her. Peyton knew she would have to talk to Brooke also, but she couldn't bring herself to do that just yet. Pulling from strength she kept hidden in a special reserve, the same strength used to continue to live after Ellie and fake Derek, she adjusted the water, stripped, and stepped back in. As she washed her body she couldn't help but think of when Brooke would join her in the shower; how as the water would cascade over their bodies they would wash each other while stealing touches and kisses. As her hand moved over her breast, she remembered how Brooke would spend extra time on each of them, lathering, with her hand full of cool lavender scented body wash, allowing special attention to be paid on her highly sensitive nipples. Continuing down, she would wash her tone mid-drift allowing her nails to scrape across the planes of her stomach slightly, which always made Peyton shiver, before drifting down to trace the tattoo on her pelvic bone. Peyton's hand drifted to the B she had tattooed in the identical spot as Brooke's P. Her hand then drifted down lower grazing over sensitive flesh allowing a moan to escape her mouth and bounce off of the tile of the shower, which seemed to break Peyton out of her sensual trip down memory lane.

After finishing her shower, Peyton dried her hair and got dressed, deciding to wait outside on the porch for Nathan's SUV to pull up. She had to admit, though she was still an emotional wreck, the shower did help to a certain extent. Hearing the old school Doug E. Fresh from a block away, she looked up to see Nathan's car approaching. She stood and walked to the car once it made it to the driveway. Once in the passenger seat, Nathan reversed and they're one their way to the school. Nathan looks over and notices though Peyton still looks sad, she does look a little better, which he would take over nothing, one step closer to a breakthrough.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Nathan walked into his bedroom to find Haley midway through her nightly preparations for bed. As he closed the door he took a second to just watch her as she busied herself removing the little make-up she did wear, and applying face cream. He thought to himself not for the first time how much he loved his wife. "You know how much I love you right Hales? I mean you and Jamie are my life. I can't believe how lost I was after the accident; I almost lost what really matters, which is you guys." Nathan says as he wraps his hands around Haley's body pulling her close. It had been a year since the accident, six months since his pity party was ended by some tough words of wisdom from a long legged blonde. "You know before Peyt knocked some since into me I was so obsessed with losing sight of my dream that I lost track of my reality." Nathan's voice held so much sentiment that when Haley turned around and looked him in the eye, she saw such raw emotion; pain, sorrow, regret, embarrassment, but most of all there was fear. Haley turned around completely in Nathans hold, until her chest was pressed against his, reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face framing it. She then rose up on her tippy toes to bring him down for a searing kiss, pouring her love and appreciation for him into it. When they pulled apart, both allowing their lungs to expand for necessary oxygen intake, she kissed him again this time more gently but still as loving. "Nathan, you will never loose me, I know it got rough there for a second, but you gotta know, I need you just as bad as you need me. We're a team babe, remember that." He gazed into her eyes, amazed at how much love he saw. It broke down a wall he did not know he was consciously building, a wall made of all the emotions he tried to drink away after the accident. Haley saw it when he finally let go of the past and finally started to forgive himself, finally started the last phase of his healing. Overjoyed by their realizations, they lost themselves in each other, fully expressing their undying love to and for one another.

Sometime later, as they laid in each other's arms, Haley thought about what Nathan had said earlier. "Peyton really must of got through to you huh?" Haley said as she stroked her hand through Nathan's soft brown hair. "Yeah she did. She got me to take my head out my ass long enough to see the damage I was doing to my family," Nathan quoted, "Sawyer always did have a way with words." he chuckled as he thought about Peyton's not so subtle wake up call. "She really does care about you, I know how close you two are." Haley mused as she continued to stroke Nathan's hair. "Yeah, who would have thought that I would end up having Peyton Sawyer as a little sister?" "You do realize she's older than you right?" Haley joked, which got her a role of the eyes from Nathan. "I'm bigger than she is, so ha" Nathan said sticking his tongue out at her for good measure. "And we wonder where our son gets it from" Haley scolded although there was a smile creeping up her face. "I'm worried about her you know." Nathan said looking down at Haley as he spoke. "She has a least been leaving the house since you made her three days ago though." Haley commented remembering seeing Peyton yesterday at the label. "She just seems so lost Hales, like somebody just sucked the joy from her." Nathan replied shaking his head. "I just wanna help her you know Hales. I feel so helpless right now. She's hurting and all I can do is just stand there and just look." Nathan continued, the frustration clear in his voice. "Nathan, there is nothing either one us can do that we haven't already tried. We both know what Peyton needs, and we also know she is waaayy to stubborn to admit it." Haley said with conviction. "Brooke." "Brooke." They said at the same time. "Have you spoken to her lately?" Nathan asked. "Yeah, I called her the other morning, but she missed the call. She called me back and Jamie answered the phone. He really misses her. Anyway I spoke to her, and she is going through it just like Peyton. She wants to come home, but is respecting Peyton's orders and staying away. She told me to tell her she would give her up if that's what Peyton wants. It's so weird. It's like all the Brooke Davis spunk and attitude we know and love has vanished, and in its place is this weak self-condemning person that I have no clue how to get through to." Haley ran a hand through her hair musing it more than it already was. "What a pair" Nathan states once again shaking his head. "Yeah but their best friends who we love to death, so what are we gonna do to fix this." Haley said sitting up against their headboard. "I don't know Hales, what can we do. Brooke's too chicken to come home, no matter what she says her reason for staying away is, and Peyt is too stubborn to admit she wants her home." Nathan said joining Haley against the headboard. "Which is why once again I say what are WE gonna do to fix this." Haley said emphasizing the "we" to get her point across. "Do you have a plan Haley James?" "I just might, and it's Haley James Scott thank you very much!" Haley replied with mischief in her eyes. "I'm probably gonna regret this, but... what's the plan Hales?" Nathan said reluctantly. "We get them together in one place." Haley said as if that was an easy thing to do. "How, if I may ask, do you plan to do that and they both be willing?" "We invite them to Jamie's birthday party, and let nature take it from there." "How do you know they will come?" Nathan questioned. "We have a secret weapon…. He's five going on fifty, sports a red cape, and calls you Daddy." Haley said. "You would exploit our son like that?" Nathan inquired. "Damn right if it can get those two together again." She replied with conviction. "I knew I married you for a reason" Nathan smirked leaning over to peck Haley on the cheek. "And all this time I thought it was because of my awesome pancakes…huh who knew." Haley bantered receiving a glare from Nathan before it turned into a grin. "So when do we set this brilliant plan of yours into action?" Nathan asked looking at Haley. "Operation Breyton begins tomorrow."

Reviews are awesome guys… This is my first story, and I love feedback …It keeps me motivated J


End file.
